Featured plants in the Lou!
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July Shrub of the Month-Bottlebrush buckeye
Native to the south and eastern regions of St. Louis, bottlebrush buckeye, Aesculus parviflora, tolerates the soil and weather extremes of St. Louis well. Add to that the large, showy flowers, shade tolerance,…
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July Perennial of the Month-Russian sage
Spring is over, the heat and drought have arrived, and many gardens are starting to show some wear and tear. After the peonies, iris, and other Act I seasonal favorites, Act II begins,…
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June Perennial of the Month-Cranesbill geranium
In 2015 Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’ was voted Perennial Plant Association’s Plant of the Year. Even without the title, gardeners have loved this perennial for years, and I can’t imagine my garden without…
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June Shrub of the Month-Elderberry
If ever there were a Cinderella story in the plant world, it would have to be Sambucus canadensis, more commonly known as elderberry. This native was considered a weed by the average Joe…
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June Tree of the Month-Japanese tree lilac
Perhaps you’ve noticed an unusual tree along streets or in parking lots with huge creamy-white flowers? This relative newcomer is Syringa reticulata, commonly known as Japanese tree lilac, and it’s not your grandmother’s lilac.…
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May Tree of the Month-Fringe tree
The redbuds are done, the dogwoods are fading, and the magnolias are long gone … time for one of the most underused trees to shine-the fringe tree, Chionanthus virginicus. Fringe tree is a…
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May Shrub of the Month-Weigela
Remember when every well-landscaped yard used a purple-leafed barberry shrub? (Usually planted right next to a globe blue spruce or a yellow-tipped conifer) Plant lovers wanted that beautiful burgundy color, but like most…
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May Perennial of the Month-Iris
The fleur de lis is a stylized iris flower, and so this month, we pay homage to the symbol of St. Louis-the noble Iris. Iris flowers symbolize power, with the three parts representing…
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April Perennial of the Month-Virginia bluebells
I like to think of Virginia bluebells-Mertensia virginica, as misguided college kids who spend their spring break in St. Louis instead of Florida. Most of the year, they are off somewhere else (brushing…
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April Shrub of the Month-Tree peony
Most gardeners are familiar with the old-fashion herbaceous peonies, but once most newbie gardeners meet a tree peony, there is no going back. The name is misleading since tree peonies are not a…
